Seoul: South Korea said on Wednesday it will comply with terms of the defense cost-sharing deal with the US, after US President Donald Trump said Seoul should pay for its own defense.
According to Kuwait News Agency, "Our government's stance is that it will implement the 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA), which was validly concluded and in effect," the Foreign Ministry said, referring to the defense cost-sharing deal signed by the allies last year.
Trump said late Tuesday that South Korea pays the US "very little" for America's military support and should pay for its own defense, amid expectations that he would demand the Asian ally shoulder a greater security burden.
Last year, Seoul and Washington signed the 12th SMA, under which Korea is to pay KRW 1.52 trillion (USD 1.11 billion) next year, up from KRW 1.40 trillion (USD 1.02 billion) this year.
About 28,500 US soldiers are stationed in South Korea to deter and counter potential threats from North Korea. The Koreas remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.